Definition of back
What does the word back mean?
-
-
part of speech: verb transitive, intransitive
Put, or be, a back, lining, support, or background, to; assist with countenance, money, or argument, bet upon, whence backer n.; (of sporting dogs) follow suit to one that points; b. up, help by subordinate action, esp. in cricket; ride upon, break in to the saddle; countersign, endorse; cause to move back (horse, boat, engine, &c.; b. a sail, yard, lay it aback, i. e. to face wind; b. water, reverse boat\'s motion with oars); go backwards; (of wind) change countersun wise (cf. VEER); b. out (of), withdraw (from undertaking &c.); b. down, abandon claim.
-
part of speech: noun, adjective
Hinder surface of human body (at the b. of, behind in support, pursuit, or concealment; BEHIND one\'s b.; give, make, a b., bend down at leapfrog; turn one\'s b., upon, run away from, abandon; on one\'s b., laid up; with one\'s b. to wall, hard pressed); body as needing clothes (b. & belly, clothing& food) or as weight-carrier (b. equal to burden; have on one\'s b., be burdened with; break one\'s b., overburden him, & see BREAK b. of); surface of things corresponding to human b. (less visible, active, or important; b. of hand, leg, door, book, knife), side away from spectator; upper surface of animal\'s body, surface corresponding to this (ridge-shaped, &c.; b. of hill, ship esp. in broke her b.; on the b. of, in addition to); football player stationed behind (full, three-quarter, half, b.); backband, over cart-saddle to keep shafts up; backboard, at b. of cart, also strapped across child\'s b. to straighten it; backbone, spine (whence backboned a.; to the backbone, thoroughly), main support, axis, watershed, chief strength, firmness of character (whence backboneless a.); backfall, throw on b. in wrestling; backsword, with only one edge, also singlestick. (Adj.; no comp., superl. backmost): situated behind, remote, inferior, (take b. seat, humble oneself); overdue (b. rent); reversed, counter, (b. current); backdoor, lit., & fig. secret means or approach, (adj.) clandestine, underhand; b.-end, late autumn; background, part of scene, picture, or description, that serves as setting to chief figures or objects and fore-ground, obscurity, retirement; backhand (ed), delivered with b. of hand or in direction counter to the usual, indirect, unexpected, (backhander, such blow, indirect attack, extra glass got by bottle\'s travelling wrong way); backset, counter current, check, reverse; backside, posterior, rump; b.-sight, that nearer stock of rifle &c., (Surv.) sight taken backwards; backstairs n. & a., backstair a., as backdoor above; backstays, ropes slanting abaft from masthead to sides of ship; backstroke, return or backhand stroke; backwash, motion of receding wave (lit. & fig.); backwater, water dammed back, currentless water beside stream& fed by its backflow, stagnant condition of things, creek communicating with sea by barred outlets, water cast from ship\'s paddles, loss of power caused by this; backway, bypath (lit. & fig.); backwoods n. & a., backwood a., (connected with) remote uncleared forest land (so backwoodsman). [old English]
-
part of speech: noun
-
part of speech: noun
the Bb., grounds at the b. of certain colleges at Cambridge; put, get, set, person\'s b. up, make him angry.
-
part of speech: adverb
To the rear (often with omission of vb, esp. in imperative), away from what is considered the front (push the bolt b.); away from a promise (go b. from or upon one\'s word); into the past, into or in an earlier position or condition, home; in return (answer b. =retort: pay b.); at a distance (b. from the road); in a checked condition (keep b.); =ago; reckoning backwards (for years b.); behindhand; b. & forth=to& fro; b. of (United States) =behind; backbite, slander, speak ill of, whence backbiter n.; backlash (ing), irregular recoil of wheels in machinery due to defects or sudden pressure; backslide v.i., relapse into sin, whence backslider backsliding, nn.; backstitch n. & v.t. &i., sew (ing) with overlapping stitches.
-